{"id":762,"date":"2021-01-11T09:30:40","date_gmt":"2021-01-10T20:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/?p=762"},"modified":"2021-01-11T09:36:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T20:36:25","slug":"who-to-please-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/11\/who-to-please-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Who to Please in 2021?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pleasing to whom you may ask? Please others? Please family? Please friends? What about God? Is your life and actions pleasing to God? Or not?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Galatians 1:10 <em>\u201c\u2026do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I have heard it said, \u201cDo \u2018such and such\u2019 and people will love you. Put on that \u2018kind of show\u2019 in your life and you will be loved by men.\u201d Over the years, many have told my family how to dress, what kind of music to play, what songs to sing, my husband how to preach, and the list could go on and on. All the advice was provided so our family would be pleasing to the multitudes. For those who know us well, we have never followed man\u2019s advice when it was contrary to the Word of God. So, we have not been pleasing to some men; but you know what? That is okay. We have tried to be pleasing to the Lord.<\/p>\n<p>We women worry sometimes and over the years, these comments would bother me. I would think, \u201cMaybe I could sing more, even though my voice isn\u2019t the best. Maybe I could dress fancier, wear more makeup, and look like I stepped out of a magazine. Maybe I could sew matching clothes for my girls. What can I say, when others are around, so my husband looks good?\u201d I used to sincerely worry if I\u2019ve always done my best to be pleasing to those around me, until recently. God showed me in his Word how we are not to be pleasing to men; because if we are pleasing men, then we are not serving the Lord.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Galatians 1:10 <em>\u201c\u2026do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I was so thrilled when I saw this verse. All my worry, on this topic, disappeared. I pondered this verse quite a bit.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sometimes, we can achieve both. We can please God and men. When this happens, then the men we are pleasing (as a result of pleasing God first) are probably also striving to please God themselves. For example, if we show up to visitation, we are pleasing God first because we are obeying his command to tell others about him. Second, we are pleasing the Pastor of the church when he sees us come to visitation. Notice, we must be pleasing to God first. How wonderful it is when both God and our fellow friends are pleased. Colossians 1:10 <em><em>\u201cThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li>However, when we are hit with a cross-road in life and one way pleases men; but the other pleases God \u2013 take the path that pleases God. For example, a family reunion is planned during church service. Hebrews 10:25 says <em>\u201cNot forsaking the assembling of ourselves together\u2026\u201d<\/em> So, do we please men or God? Joshua put it this way in Joshua 24:15<em>\u201c\u2026choose you this day whom ye will serve\u2026but as for me and my hous<\/em><em>e, we will serve the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When we please God first in our lives, we may aggravate our family and have fewer friends; but remember, life is a vapor and then it is gone. Only what is done for the Lord will last.<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-771 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/3745-T-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"407\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/3745-T-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/3745-T-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/3745-T-1536x1012.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/3745-T-2048x1350.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px\" \/><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">James 4:14 <em>\u201cWhereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em>I Corinthians 3:13<em> \u201c\u2026and the fire shall try every man&#8217;s work of what sort it is.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A vapor is quickly gone. Take a hot skillet and drop one drop of water in it and watch it vanish as a poof of vapor while you blink. One blink and it is gone. Sometimes, we get extremely focused in our life and in pleasing others. We tend to forget in the whole realm of God\u2019s eternal life \u2013 our life is a vapor and it is gone in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n<p>So, what can we do that is pleasing to the Lord?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Have faith in him and his guidance in your life. He knows what is best for you even if you do not agree with him. Have faith in him.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Hebrews 11:6 <em>\u201cBut without faith it is impossible to please him\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>Live in the Spirit. Allow him to direct your path in life. Do not follow the flesh. So, when people were telling us what to do to please other men, we ignored them and followed God to please him.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Romans 8:5 <em>\u201cFor they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are aft<\/em><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>er the Spirit the things of the Spirit.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em>Romans 8:8 <em>\u201cSo then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em>Proverbs 3:6 <em>\u201cIn all thy ways acknowledge him, <\/em><em>and he shall direct thy paths.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>Also, when children are obedient, this pleases the parents. If you are a child of God, be obedient to your Heavenly Father. This will also be well pleasing to the Lord.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Colossians 3:20 <em>\u201cChildren, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-765 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/4069-DN-Lit-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/4069-DN-Lit-scaled.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/4069-DN-Lit-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/4069-DN-Lit-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/4069-DN-Lit-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I saw this concluding verse the other day and thought, \u201cWhat a wonderful thing it would be in my death that I could have the same testimony as Enoch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Hebrews 11:<em>5 \u201cBy faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death\u2026<u>for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God<\/u>.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Notice God didn\u2019t say \u201cEnoch pleased men\u201d but <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>\u201cthat he pleased God.\u201d<\/em><\/span> In this new year, let\u2019s not worry about a \u201cshow\u201d to please men but let\u2019s be pleasing to God.<\/p>\n<p>Note: If you wish to leave a comment, please scroll past my photo and links to other posts and there is a place to leave a comment. Thanks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pleasing to whom you may ask? Please others? Please family? Please friends? What about God? Is your life and actions pleasing to God? Or not? &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[3],"tags":[99,141,250],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":772,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions\/772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}